This article is focused on reviewing the current state-of-the-art of optical fibre pressure sensors for medical applications. Optical fibres have inherent advantages due to their small size, immunity to electromagnetic interferences and their suitability for remote monitoring and multiplexing. The small dimensions of optical fibre-based pressure sensors, together with being lightweight and flexible, mean that they are minimally invasive for many medical applications and, thus, particularly suited to in vivo measurement. This means that the sensor can be placed directly inside a patient, e.g., for urodynamic and cardiovascular assessment. This paper presents an overview of the recent developments in optical fibre-based pressure measurements with particular reference to these application areas.

Oceanic conditions play an important role in determining the effects of climate change and these effects can be monitored through the changes in the physical properties of sea water. In fact, Oceanographers use various probes for measuring the properties within the water column. CTDs (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth) provide profiles of physical and chemical parameters of the water column. A CTD device consists of Conductivity (C), Temperature (T) and Depth (D) probes to monitor the water column changes with respect to relative depth. An optical fibre-based point sensor used as a combined pressure (depth) and temperature sensor and the sensor system are described. Measurements accruing from underwater trials of a miniature sensor for pressure (depth) and temperature in the ocean and in fresh water are reported. The sensor exhibits excellent stability and its performance is shown to be comparable with the Sea-Bird Scientific commercial sensor: SBE9Plus.

A miniature sensor for accurate measurement of pressure (depth) with temperature compensation in the ocean environment is described. The sensor is based on an optical fibre Extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) combined with a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG). The EFPI provides pressure measurements while the Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) provides temperature measurements. The sensor is mechanically robust, corrosion-resistant and suitable for use in underwater applications. The combined pressure and temperature sensor system was mounted on-board a mini remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) in order to monitor the pressure changes at various depths. The reflected optical spectrum from the sensor was monitored online and a pressure or temperature change caused a corresponding observable shift in the received optical spectrum. The sensor exhibited excellent stability when measured over a 2 h period underwater and its performance is compared with a commercially available reference sensor also mounted on the ROV. The measurements illustrates that the EFPI/FBG sensor is more accurate for depth measurements (depth of ~0.020 m).

This investigation describes a detailed analysis of the fabrication and testing of optical fibre pressure and temperature sensors (OFPTS). The optical sensor of this research is based on an extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometer (EFPI) with integrated fibre Bragg grating (FBG) for simultaneous pressure and temperature measurements. The sensor is fabricated exclusively in glass and with a small diameter of 0.2 mm, making it suitable for volume-restricted bio-medical applications. Diaphragm shrinking techniques based on polishing, hydrofluoric (HF) acid and femtosecond (FS) laser micro-machining are described and analysed. The presented sensors were examined carefully and demonstrated a pressure sensitivity in the range of \(s_p\) = 2–10 \(\frac{\text{nm}}{\text{kPa}}\) and a resolution of better than \(\Delta P\) = 10 Pa protect (0.1 cm H\(_2\)O). A static pressure test in 38 cmH\(_2\)O shows no drift of the sensor in a six-day period. Additionally, a dynamic pressure analysis demonstrated that the OFPTS never exceeded a drift of more than 130 Pa (1.3 cm H\(_2\)O) in a 12-h measurement, carried out in a cardiovascular simulator. The temperature sensitivity is given by \(k=10.7\) \(\frac{\text{pm}}{\text{K}}\), which results in a temperature resolution of better than \(\Delta T\) = 0.1 K. Since the temperature sensing element is placed close to the pressure sensing element, the pressure sensor is insensitive to temperature changes.

Urodynamic analysis is the predominant method for evaluating dysfunctions in the lower urinary tract. The exam measures the pressure during the filling and voiding process of the bladder and is mainly interested in the contraction of the bladder muscles. The data arising out of these pressure measurements enables the urologist to arrive at a precise diagnosis and prescribe an adequate treatment. A technique based on two optical fiber pressure and temperature sensors with a resolution of better than $0.1cmH2O$ ($∼10Pa$), a stability better than $1cmH2O/hour$, and a diameter of 0.2 mm in a miniature catheter with a diameter of only 5 Fr (1.67 mm), was used. This technique was tested in vivo on four patients with a real-time urodynamic measurement system. The optical system presented showed a very good correlation to two commercially available medical reference sensors. Furthermore, the optical urodynamic system demonstrated a higher dynamic and better sensitivity to detect small obstructions than both pre-existing medical systems currently in use in the urodynamic field.

The implementation of quantum computing processors for scientific applications includes quantum floating points circuits for arithmetic operations. This work adopts the standard division algorithms for floating-point numbers with restoring, non-restoring, and Goldschmidt division algorithms for single-precision inputs. The design proposals are carried out while using the quantum Clifford+T gates set, and resource estimates in terms of numbers of qubits, T-count, and T-depth are provided for the proposed circuits. By improving the leading zero detector (LZD) unit structure, the proposed division circuits show a significant reduction in the T-count when compared to the existing works on floating-point division.